


Return to Sender

by jozevf



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Abuse, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:14:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28956996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jozevf/pseuds/jozevf
Summary: Fashonti has failed in his duty to Lady Anzu and must make up for it.
Kudos: 1





	Return to Sender

**Author's Note:**

> The first appearance Anzu Ii, a character belonging to my friend [cryptwalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryptwalker/) here on AO3.  
> 

Fashonti sat in Anzu’s office, hands in his lap. He was afraid to meet the auri woman’s gaze as she stared daggers at him. Though he had made the proper introductions and offering -- a decadent chocolate mint, which he had specifically commissioned a Lominsan confectioner to make -- he was struggling to find the courage to speak further.

Lady Anzu, finally, broke the silence. “Did you only come here to bring me a treat, Little Yue? I was under the impression…” Picking up the chocolate, she began carefully removing the silver wrappings. “...That I had sent you to pick up a package. Is this little chocolate the package I sent you to acquire?” She popped the chocolate into her mouth, and as soon as she tasted it a hint of anger flashed in her otherwise cold eyes. “A  _ mint _ chocolate, I add.”

Swallowing hard, Fashonti at last spoke again. “N-no, Lady An. You did send me for a package. The chocolate is not the package. I apologize if… it displeases you.” He bit his lip and glanced around at the various items in the room -- Strange vials, glinting in the warm light. Some jars of needles, possibly from a cactuar.  _ Several _ scalpels and knives. Fashonti returned his eyes to his lap when he saw the last items. “The package… was not in the dropoff location. I fear that, perhaps--”   
  
“Open your mouth,” Anzu said as she stood from her seat.

“Wh-what?” Fashonti met her gaze and felt a cold shiver go down his spine.

“I will  _ not _ repeat myself,” she said, making a point to keep his eyes locked on hers, like a snake entrancing its prey. She reached into her coat and pulled out a scalpel. “<<Do it.>>”

Nodding slowly, Fashonti obliged, opening his mouth wide. In a flash, the scalpel was pressed against the center of his tongue, the edge of the blade drawing blood. He winced but fought the urge to close his mouth or move his tongue. Tears began forming in his eyes.

The auri woman made a show of “inspecting” Fashonti’s mouth, lifting and moving his tongue with the scalpel, making no effort to avoid slicing flesh in the process. Blood began to pool in the bottom of his mouth, but he held still. “I see no liar’s tongue in your mouth,” Anzu said as she removed the blade, but kept it near his face. “Strange, then, that the courier who placed the package ensured me that it would only be found by whomever I sent to retrieve it.” She narrowed her eyes at Fashonti. “I sent  _ you _ to retrieve it, but you say the package was not there.” She raised the blade to his eye and held it inches away from his iris. “Where is my package, Little Yue?”

The tears stopped flowing as Fashonti froze in place. He still  _ wanted _ to cry, very much so, but he was too afraid. It was like even the blood in his veins stopped pumping for fear of angering Lady Anzu any further. He swallowed his mouthful of blood and finally spoke. “I-- I assure you, I do not know! But, if you give me-- If you allow me more time, I will track it down! I promise you!”

After a long silence, Anzu took the blade away from the miqo’te’s face and dropped it into a nearby receptacle labeled “CONTAMINATED” in Yanxian script. “Time is valuable, Yue. I’ll not hand it out as freely as you hand out mints.” She returned to her seat, crossing her legs and folding her arms over her chest. She cast an uncaring glance over Fashonti. “You will return with my package tomorrow or you will make your final preparations for the short time you have left in this world. <<Do you understand me?>>”

“Ah, I-- Ah…” He struggled to remember the language for a moment. “<<I understand.>> I will not fail you again.”

“Good! Now go,” she said with a nonchalant wave. “You will be very busy, I’m sure, and I have work to attend to.”

“Thank you, Lady An.” Fashonti carefully stood and bowed, but he was trembling. As he exited the ornate office, he considered the possibility that he might not find the package.  _ And then… _ He shook the thought from his mind, pulling a link pearl out of his pocket once he was out of earshot of Anzu. “This is Small Wonder. Cancel all clients for the next 24 bells. ...I will take the heat from Miss Vex, just do it. I will not be in contact until tomorrow night. ...Yes. Yes. Understood. ...Thank you. Small Wonder out.”

***

Vita stood outside the large, metal door to Miss Vex’s office.  _ I can do this. I’ll take the heat for Fashonti. I can do this for him. _ Just as she was about to knock, a voice called from within the office. “Enter.” Vita pushed the heavy door open and quickly felt all warmth sapped from her body. Miss Vex’s office was mostly marble and steel, and seemed at all times freezing. Vita walked in with a shiver.

“Take a seat. Tell me why you wish to speak.” Vex was writing on a long sheet of parchment, her lettering precise and without flair. She did not look up at Vita as she sat down on the metal chair across from her.

“I, um, just thought you should know…” Vita fumbled with her hands in her lap, unsure of how to proceed. With some effort, she chose her words. “I told Fashonti I’d take over his clients for the next day or so. He needed time to himself, so I… Um…”

Miss Vex stopped writing and set her quill in the nearby inkpot. “So you saw fit to change the schedule without consulting anyone.” Sliding the parchment aside, she folded her hands on the desk in front of her. “The Small Wonder was  _ triple booked _ with clients. Clients who did not ask for  _ you _ , Tender Embrace.” Miss Vex fixed Vita with an icy stare. “I don’t enjoy it when my employees make changes to the schedule without consulting me.”

Vita squirmed in her seat, wringing her tail in her hands. “I’m… I’m  _ really _ sorry. I won’t do it again. I promise. I was just…” She trailed off again.

Vex let out a bored sigh. “Just worried about the Keeper boy again, yes, I know.” Vex picked up her quill again and resumed writing. “He doesn’t care for you the same way you care for him, you understand.” Vita was silent. The only sound for a length of time was the scratching of pen on paper. “You will take on his clients as you intended, but you will work at a quarter of his rate. And you will  _ not _ do this again.” She gave the young miqo’te one last look to ensure she understood. “Now go. You’re going to be very busy.”   
  
“O-of course.” As Vita left the room, Miss Vex’s words rang through her mind. ‘ _ He doesn’t care for you.’ _ She shook the thought from her mind and nodded to herself.  _ I can do this for Fashonti. _

***

Fashonti sat in Anzu’s office, holding a small, ornate box in his lap. One of his eyes was swollen shut and dripped with blood. He tried to meet Anzu’s gaze, but found it difficult to keep his vision straight. He had stumbled his way through the proper introductions and offering -- a single mint, the paper wrapper dyed red with spots of blood -- and was trying to find the strength to speak again after his long day.

Lady Anzu, finally, broke the silence. “Well. Either you’ve found the package, or you saw fit to bring a lovely box for me to keep your head in.” She gave a wry smile as she flicked the bloodstained mint off her desk and into the nearby waste bin. “Which is it, I wonder?”

With a great deal of effort, Fashonti lifted the box onto the desk and gently set it down. “I’ve… retrieved your package… As promised…” He had found the box with a group of thieves and defeated them with barely a bell to spare. Despite being seriously injured in the process, he didn’t have time to get patched up before returning to Anzu. She wouldn’t be made to wait.

Anzu lifted the lid from the box and peered inside, her eyes seeming to light with devious glee for a brief moment. A smile spread on her face as she pulled out some long parchment, covered in very precise handwriting, and a thin silver cylinder -- the end of it displaying Yanxian script and a single diamond design in the center. Returning the items to the box, she closed it gently and relaxed to a neutral facade. “You’ve done very well, Little Yue. I will entrust you with more… lucrative opportunities in the future.” Her lips almost curled into a smile, but as she noticed the blood dripping from Fashonti’s coat, she frowned. “Now go. See to your wounds and rest up. We will be in touch soon.” As he stood, Anzu gave a slight wave. “And do take care not to make a mess on your way out.”

Fashonti bowed, trying to hide the pain in his face as he did so. Stumbling out of the room, he was thankful that it was finished.  _ Maybe now I can rest a bit,  _ he thought. Just as he exited the building, he felt the linkpearl in his pocket begin to hum. He fought back tears as he looked to the night sky. Rest would have to come later.


End file.
